Last Updated:
Intelligence revealed that Khalistani and Islamist organisations in Canada, the UK and Australia are using NGOs to launder donations for terror financing.
Several Khalistani groups have misused charity organisations to launder funds for terror financing. (AFP/Representative Image)
In a glaring misuse of foreign law, several Khalistani and Islamist organisations in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia are using non-profit organisations to launder donations for terror financing.
According to intelligence intercepts seen by CNN-News18, these groups have been misusing charities to secure funds for terror activities. This includes spreading propaganda and recruitment campaigns documented by multiple Western and Indian investigations.
Recommended Stories
Several charitable NGOs registered for Sikh welfare or human rights advocacy, such as Khalsa Aid, Sikh Relief, World Sikh Organisation, are found to have diverted donor funds to radical outfits and legal defence of extremists involved in anti-India plots.
Many charities have sponsored martyrdom events in gurdwaras displaying pictures of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) militants. These processions have also glorified those responsible for assassinating Indian leaders.
Links To Pakistan’s ISI
Canada’s intelligence and financial authorities have intensified scrutiny on charitable organisations in the country, after these organisations were suspected of diverting funds to terrorist groups.
ALSO READ: Canada Tightens Scrutiny On Charities Suspected Of Funding Khalistani Terror Networks | Exclusive
Furthermore, remittances from charities registered in Canada were found to have been routed through informal hawala chains or crypto wallets to Khalistani supporters, intelligence has revealed.
Several Canadian and UK charities with pro-Khalistan faces have received donations from shell foundations. These foundations are linked to Pakistan’s ISI-controlled Inter-Services Welfare Fund, camouflaged as disaster-relief contributions
Some youth outreach organisations often run community programmes that aim to indoctrinate young Sikhs with the Khalistan ideology, while using charity premises for ideological training and digital radicalisation.
Islamist-linked Charity Abuse
Additionally, charities in Canada and the UK, along with the Gulf Relief for Syria and Helping Hand for Relief & Development, have been used by groups like Hamas, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Al-Qaeda affiliates to launder donations under humanitarian pretexts.
CNN-News18 found that funds collected for the education and welfare of orphans have been layered through multiple entities to conceal transfers to proscribed organisations such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF).
Islamist operatives have been found to have exploited NGO bank accounts to finance travel, false invoicing and procurement of dual-use equipment. They are also supplied communication kits, drone parts, and relief vehicles to be used in terrorist activities.
Radical preachers linked to Tablighi and Deobandi movements have also used charity-backed mosques to identify donors. They have been recruiting volunteers and shielding extremist sermons by disguising the process as community service.
Islamist groups have employed encrypted crowdfunding under disaster appeals like Gaza, Rohingya and Kashmir using cryptocurrency or e-wallets. Intelligence intercepts have shown portions of funds diverted to Hamas and ISIS-K.
Islamist groups have used encrypted crowdfunding under disaster appeals for Gaza, Rohingya, and Kashmir, channelling donations through cryptocurrency and e-wallets. Intelligence intercepts indicate that portions of these funds were diverted to Hamas and ISIS-K.
About the Author
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Canada
October 05, 2025, 11:09 IST
Loading comments…
Read More
 "After decades of turmoil, Syria holds its first parliamentary elections. What to expect")
